Goblin Valley Vandalism
I am DISGUSTED at this video of boy scout leaders toppling a rock formation in Goblin Valley State Park.
The guy filming the video is David Hall. He’s the one who sings, “wiggle it just a little bit.” He’s also the guy who laughs, saying, “We have modified Goblin Valley!” Here is his Facebook Page:
The man who actually pushed over the rock is Glenn Taylor. Here is his Facebook Page:
He’s the owner of NoBounds IT.
Here is the Wikipedia definition of a goblin:
The unusual stone shapes in Goblin Valley result from the weathering of Entrada Sandstone. They consist of debris eroded from former highlands and redeposited on a former tidal flat of alternating layers of sandstone, siltstone and shale. The rocks show evidence of being near an ancient sea with the ebb and flow of tides, tidal channels that directed currents back to the sea and coastal sand dunes.
Joint or fracture patterns within the Entrada’s sandstone beds created initial zones of weakness. The unweathered joints intersected to form sharp edges and corners with greater surface-area-to-volume ratios than the faces. As a result, the edges weathered more quickly, producing the spherical-shaped ‘goblins’.
The rock formations are estimated to be around 170 million years old.
Those “leaders” destroyed 170 MILLION YEARS of history. The Emery County Attorney, David Blackwell, is deciding whether to press charges against them. I’ve written an email to the David Blackwell:
Dear Mr. Blackwell,
I just saw the video of the Goblin Valley vandalism performed by Glenn Taylor and the two other boy scout participants. Over the years, I’ve seen MANY hooligans like this destroy our national parks and monuments. PLEASE make an example of these guys. If you have any ability to press charges against them, please do so. I am so sick of people like this destroying our public lands.
You can email him as well: bwell@co.emery.ut.us
Here is a video of them trying to justify this behavior:
Don’t let these guys get away with this sort of behavior. It’s not their place to decide if a rock is going to topple. It’s NATURE’S place to decide (and the state park employees in charge of that park). When vandalism like this is allowed in our public lands, then what are we saving them for?
Update 12-15-13: Goblin topplers may spur new law against wilderness vandalism | The Salt Lake Tribune
Via: Fox 13 News – Man who toppled rock formation at Goblin Valley says formation was dangerous